Welcome to the first Nintendo Downloads with 3DS updates! And the first update to be released on a Thursday as well. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly a stellar update to celebrate for 3DS owners. I mean, you’d think Nintendo would have gone out of its way to release one major downloadable game on the eShop to celebrate the first update, but no. There were one eShop Virtual Console game, one Wii Virtual Console game, one WiiWare game and four DSiWare games released this week. That’s it. Told you it was underwhelming.

There’s also a Bit.Trip Flux WiiWare demo available to download. It’s free and only available for a limited time, so grab it now if you always wanted to try the game, but didn’t want to take a chance on the full version…

If you head to your local grocery store and check out the fresh fruit, you may see Donkey Kong! Nintendo has teamed up with Chiquita to promote Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii. So instead of seeing a sticker with the Miss Chiquita on it, you’ll seeDonkey Kong Country Returns logo or DK himself.

It’s all to promote the Show Chiquita your Donkey Kong Dance Contest…

Kill screen incoming, Donkey Kong fans. Thanks to the critically acclaimed documentary King of Kong:Fistful of Quarters, the Donkey Kong world record is the holy grail of arcade accomplishments. Steve Wiebe, whose lengthy battle with Billy Mitchell formed the basis for King of Kong, has reclaimed the title.

I can almost smell their banana breath. Our favorite necktied simian and his little nephew are back for more jungle adventures in the upcoming Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii. At PAX this weekend, I teamed up with another journalist as we made our way through a demo level called “Poppin’ Planks”. I played as Donkey Kong and he played as Diddy Kong.

For many years the big names of the sports world, like Reggie Jackson, Broadway Joe Namath, Big Joe Montana and the mighty Jerry Rice, have entered the Halls of Fame for their outstanding feats in their respective sports. Now, heroes of a different kind are being given the same treatment when the International Video Game Hall of Fame (IVGHF) conducts its first induction ceremony on August 5, 2010.

After several years of waggle-filled E3 press events, Nintendo brought it for the hardcore gamers at E3 2010.

Though it sits comfortably atop the console heap powered by a previously untapped reserve of casual gamers, some experts are wondering aloud if the Wii and DS have lost momentum.

While at the Nintendo booth, I was able to play the new Mario and Donkey Kong Mini Land downloadable game for the DS.

You have to lead these little robot Mario’s through a obstacle course that involves making bridges appear and disappear depending on what you need to do. You also find little items like trampolines that allow you to jump and accomplish other tasks.

These racers are officially licensed replicas from Mario Kart. You can purchase either Mario, Donkey Kong or Yoshi for $39.99 each. The cars are controlled by a remote that is modeled after the GameCube controller. If you’ve played a GameCube in the past, you already know how this works. The controller also has a turbo button and plays sound clips from Mario games.

I guess I like weddings. Not that I’m planning on having one myself on the near future, but I’ve always liked a good party and they generally mean a fun time and maybe some catching up with old friends. Even though I enjoy the parties, I rarely pay attention to the details, especially to invitations. I know people take a lot of time choosing the right one, but most times I already know the details of the wedding months before the invitation arrives so I usually just throw them away. (Sorry to anyone just finding out.)

A couple in Germany have come up with an awesome idea for their wedding invitations. Instead of going with the boring, I mean traditional, paper or cardboard, they used a video game as an invitation.

The game, in all its vintage-8-bit glory, features a couple of stages where players can choose either the bride or the groom to rescue their significant other. The game takes inspiration from Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong and the reward for completing the game is the invitation to the wedding itself.

You know that the end of the year is the time for many things – gift buying, game-marathon sessions, about two trillion awesome releases – and finally, lists! Who doesn’t love a good list – and GameDaily has the granddaddy of all things nostalgia and Nintendo. In the spirit of the holiday season, or hell, just happy memories, they’ve published a list of the top 25 Nintendo memories.